[psychocandy]

my bike wouldn't start this morning, then i noticed that the plug attached to the clutch safety switch was almost falling off. i pushed it back in and everything was fine. i did, however, notice that at the far end of handlebar travel, the plug kinda rubbed against the left side switch wires and that it was only a matter of time before the plug popped off again. it's an '02 with under 7000 miles, and it doesn't look like the previous owner did any cable re-routing. but it doesn't look like there's any way that the plug won't rub against the left side switch wires. is this a problem on anyone else's 650s?

i'm pretty used to bikes that don't even have clutch safety switches, so i'm pretty set on just sticking a wire in the plug and taping it off so that it's "always on." can anyone convince me not to do this?

 

[Spacecoast]

I think as long as YOU are aware that the safety switch has been bypassed, then its not really an issue.

 

[Pádraig]

Don"t do it. the part is only $11 at any dealership.
i did it for a while i think it makes you look like you
don't know how to fix a simple problem.

 

[astraa70]

Don"t do it. the part is only $11 at any dealership.
i did it for a while i think it makes you look like you
don't know how to fix a simple problem.

I have heard that it will lower your rev limiter because it thinks teh clutch is in all the time...

 

[dan46n2]

I have heard that it will lower your rev limiter because it thinks teh clutch is in all the time...

I cant say on a 2nd gen, but for the 1st gen's this isnt true.

 

[jbswear]

Don"t do it. the part is only $11 at any dealership.
i did it for a while i think it makes you look like you
don't know how to fix a simple problem.

Hmm. I can (and have) ripped an engine apart and put it back together.

I don't think shorting out that weak link of a safety bypass makes me look incompetent. I did it because it will fail again and didn't wish to fix it AGAIN.

 

[jbswear]

Not all bikes have that safety bypass. It's a relatively new occurance. You won't find it on Harley's bikes (unless they started it this year, too).

 

[martin_j001]

Don"t do it. the part is only $11 at any dealership.
i did it for a while i think it makes you look like you
don't know how to fix a simple problem.

LMFAO. Where do people come up with some of this $hit? Mine's been jumped and wires tucked back inside the harness it came out of pretty much ever since I got the bike. I doubt many on here would say that it makes me (or my bike) look like I don't know what I'm doing.

I have heard that it will lower your rev limiter because it thinks teh clutch is in all the time...

BS.

my bike wouldn't start this morning, then i noticed that the plug attached to the clutch safety switch was almost falling off. i pushed it back in and everything was fine. i did, however, notice that at the far end of handlebar travel, the plug kinda rubbed against the left side switch wires and that it was only a matter of time before the plug popped off again. it's an '02 with under 7000 miles, and it doesn't look like the previous owner did any cable re-routing. but it doesn't look like there's any way that the plug won't rub against the left side switch wires. is this a problem on anyone else's 650s?

i'm pretty used to bikes that don't even have clutch safety switches, so i'm pretty set on just sticking a wire in the plug and taping it off so that it's "always on." can anyone convince me not to do this?

Jump it, move it out of the way, and call it a day.

 

[jetfixer]

I would assume every SV650 race bike has the wires jumped (as does mine), which causes no problem at all with the bike. I find the clutch safety switch a pain in the butt on any motorcycle. It's for people who try to start their bikes while standing beside it and don't bother to check if the bike is in neutral. The sidestand safety switch can also cause problems on older bikes (pretty much every late 80's Kawasaki I ever owned), and can be replaced with a jumper wire plug. Install the jumper wire and stow the wires, eliminating something that will cause more annoyance/problems than serve as a safety element.

 

[psychocandy]

i only had to ride off once with the sidestand down on my '71 CB500 to never do it again (luckily, it didn't end in a crash story). nevertheless, i'll keep my sidestand safety switch installed, just in case.

the clutch safety switch otoh, it seems kind of overkill. i rarely start my bike in gear anyway. even though i ride modern bikes, i learned on that '71 Honda. in my mind there's no such thing as safety switches and i still have to kick it over to start it (anyone working on a kickstart conversion for SVs?).

cheers and thanks for the input.

 

[Myles]

Sorry I'm bring this thread back from the dead, but I just don't know the terminology. Jumping the wires? Does that mean just twisting them together? I'm having a clutch safety switch issue where the bike won't fire with the clutch completely closed. If I crack it the slightest amount it fires. I'd like to bypass this.

Thanks ahead.

 

[MitchellC]

My switch is giving me some trouble too. I greased it up, lined everything up perfectly, etc., but it just won't signal that the clutch lever is pulled when it actually is.

Taking the lever switch out, It is just a small nub that is like a light switch. When the clutch lever is pulled, the circuit is completed, signaling that it is in fact pulled. Electrically, my switch still works (I pulled it out and manually made the contact), but am considering just filing the bump down while the switch is fixed in the "on" position. This way, I don't have to cut any wires or do any re-routing.

I think by "jumping the wires" they mean connecting the two wires together on the female end of the plug.

 

[DannyB22]

Yes, jumping is just connecting the two wires to close the circuit. Mine went out the other day but I just paid $10 for a new one.

 

[bighammer]

My switch is giving me some trouble too. I greased it up, lined everything up perfectly, etc., but it just won't signal that the clutch lever is pulled when it actually is.

Taking the lever switch out, It is just a small nub that is like a light switch. When the clutch lever is pulled, the circuit is completed, signaling that it is in fact pulled. Electrically, my switch still works (I pulled it out and manually made the contact), but am considering just filing the bump down while the switch is fixed in the "on" position. This way, I don't have to cut any wires or do any re-routing.

I think by "jumping the wires" they mean connecting the two wires together on the female end of the plug.

On an 05, it WILL make a difference if the ECM thinks the clutch is pulled all the time.

 

[akapero]

On an 05, it WILL make a difference if the ECM thinks the clutch is pulled all the time.

+1. On second-gens the ECM uses a different fuel map when the clutch is pulled.

Also, you don't have to cut any wires to bypass the switch. You can insert a piece of wire into the plug, or even use a piece of paper clip. Then just cover with some heat-shrink tubing or electric tape.

 

[naked650]

Replaced the "Clutch Switch Assembly" on my 2000 SV650 with this puppy from my local Suzuki dealership.

It's part #8 in this diagram:
http://www.oneidasuzuki.com/store/parts-accessories/handle-switch-sv650s-2003-07.html

 

[chefbr1]

I disabled mine when I changed my bars. Never had a bike that I had to pull the clutch in to start. I always keep my bike in neutral.

 

[psychocandy]

wow, this was one of the first questions I ever asked in this board.

my problem with the clutch switch was that the connectors rubbed against some of the cables when the bars were turned a certain amount. therefore, there was no way that this problem was ever going to truly go away. eventually, the rubbing would cause the connectors to disconnect again.

also, the Suzuki clutch switch is pretty lame IMHO. instead of a simple switch like the front brake switch which is activated by a spring loaded button that completes the circuit when the lever is pulled in, Suzuki uses a weird instantaneous type of switch. you only have to pull in the clutch momentarily to activate it. it's also easy to install the switch backwards. granted, it only takes a minute or two to take it back out and put it in the right way, but it seems overly engineered.

I have my switch permanently jumped and have no problem wih it. I use a wire to jump it (not a paper clip or piece of tin foil) and it's wrapped neatly in shrink tubing. I also don't think it makes me look like I don't know what I'm doing.

 

[Project Mayhem]

I'll be doing this today- my clutch switch is going bad. It's not a **** toilet- I shouldn't have to jiggle the handle to get it to work! ;D

 

[RandyO]

I'll be doing this today- my clutch switch is going bad. It's not a **** toilet- I shouldn't have to jiggle the handle to get it to work! ;D

there is an adjustment on the switch mounting

the switch is not going bad, your clutch perch is wearing out if you can "jiggle the handle" even a brand new switch will require a jiggle